Door operating mechanism



June 9, 1959 D. TURNER ETAL nooa OPERATING MECHANISM 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS Douglas Twmer sykoberl'blfilaaomber Z:

Filed Feb. a, 1956 ATTORNEYS! June 9, 1959 D. TURNER EIAL DOOR OPERATING MECHANISM 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 8, 1956 INVENTORS Douglas T lumen y Robert aMaoom ber 11 ATTORNEYS 4 June 9,1959 D. TURNER ETAL 2,889,875

DOOR OPERATING MECHANISM -Filed Feb. 8, 1956 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTORS Douglas Tamer y Roberl aMewomber (1 ATTORNEYS June 9, 1959 D. TURNER EI'AL 3 DOOR OPERATING MECHANISM Filed Feb. 8, 1956 s Sheets-Sheet 4 Dough Twmerw kober GMawomber k ATTORNEYS l INVENTORS E June 9, 1959 D. TURNER ETAL 2,889,875

DOOR OPERATING MECHANISM Filed Feb. 8, 1956 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTORS so 59 Douglas T lZ/IMI y Rpber CCMwaamber d ATTORZVEKS DQOR OPERATING MECHANISM Douglas Turner, Salem, and Robert C. Macomber, Canton, Ohio, assignors to Macomber, Incorporated, Canton, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application February 8, 1956, Serial No. 564,242

6 Claims. (Cl. 160-188) The invention relates to doors for airplane hangars, garages and the like, and more particularly to novel mechanism associated with such a door for opening and closing the door.

More specifically, the invention contemplates the provision of a door formed of upper and lower leaves or panels, the upper leaf being hinged upon a horizontal axis at the top of a door opening in a hangar, garage or similar building, and the lower leaf being hingedly connected at its upper edge to the lower edge of the upper leaf, operating mechanism being provided for swinging the upper leaf outwardly and upwardly upon its hinge and simultaneously swinging the lower leaf upwardly and inwardly so as to fold the same substantially fiat against the upper leaf in the fully opened position of the door.

It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a door formed of an upper leaf hinged at the top of a door opening and a lower leaf hinged to the lower edge of the upper leaf, with operating mechanism for simultaneously swinging the two leaves upward to folded condition.

Another object is to provide such a door in which the mechanism for operating the upper leaf thereof comprises a horizontal shaft journalled adjacent to the top of the door opening and having spaced pinions thereon, and gear segments fixed to the upper edge of said upper leaf and meshing with said pinions.

A further object is to provide a door of this character in which the lower leaf of the door is operated by means of gears mounted at the upper edge thereof and meshing with rack bars slidably mounted upon the upper leaf of the door and connected by links to the building adjacent to the top of the door opening therein, whereby movement of the upper leaf causes a corresponding movement of the lower leaf.

A still further object is to provide a modification of the invention in which large gear quadrants having a radius substantially equal to the height of .the upper leaf of the door, are rigidly attached to said upper leaf and mesh with pinions, journalled upon the building and operatively connected to drive means.

J The above and other objects, apparent from the drawings and followingdescription, may be attained, the above described difliculties overcome and the advantages and results obtained, by the apparatus, construction, arrangement and combinations, subcombinations and parts which comprise the presentinvention, a preferred embodiment of which, illustrative of the best mode in which applicant has contemplated applying the principle, being set forth in detail in the following description and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

In general terms, the invention may be briefly described as'comprising a door formed of an upper leaf and a lower leaf, the upper leaf being hinged at its upper edge States Patent 2,889,875 Patented June 9, 1959 to the top of a door opening in a building, and the lower leaf being hinged at its upper edge to the lower edge of the upper leaf.

Gear segments are rigidly attached to the upper edge portion of the upper leaf and mesh. with pinions upon a horizontal driving shaft journalled upon hearing brackets mounted on the building adjacent the top of the door opening, said shaft being operatively connected to drive means which may be motor driven.

Gears are rigidly connected to the upper edge portion of the lower leaf and mesh with rack bars slidably mounted upon the upper leaf, and connected, by links or the like, to the building adjacent to the top of the door open ing therein. 4

Thus, with the door in closed position, when said shaft is rotated in the proper direction, the pinions thereon meshing with the gear segments at the upper edge of the upper leaf of the door will cause said upper leaf to swing outward and upward upon its hinge joint.

Simultaneously, as the upper leaf is swung outward and upward, the slidable rack bars thereon will be caused to move downward or outward, due to the link connections thereof to the building, and, meshing with the fixed gears at the upper edge of the lower leaf, the rack bars will rotate these gears, thus swinging the lower leaf upward and inward.

As the upper leaf of the door reaches its full open position it will be located in a substantially horizontal plane at the top of the door opening, and the lower leaf will be folded substantially flat against the upper leaf.

The door is adapted to be closed by rotating the driving shaft in the opposite direction, to swing the upper leaf of the door downward and inward to vertical position, the lower leaf being simultaneously swung downward and outward to vertical position.

in the modified embodiment of the invention, the connection between the upper and lower leaves of the door is the same as above described, but the upper leaf is operated by means of large gear quadrants,having a radius substantially equal to the height of the upper leaf, and

rigidly connected to opposite ends thereof.

Pinions are journalled in bearing brackets mounted upon the building at each side of the door opening and mesh with said gear quadrants, and are arranged to be driven from a drive shaft which may be journalled above the door opening and operatively connected to the pinions as by sprocket chains.

Having thus briefly described the embodiments of the invention, reference is now made to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is an elevation of the inner side of a door provided with operating mechanism embodying the invention, the door being shown in closed position;

' Fig. 2 is a fragmentary elevation of the outer side of the door, in the same position as in Fig. 1; i

, Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view showing the door in closed position, in full lines, and showing in broken lines diiferent positions of the upper and lower leaves of the door between the fully opened and fully closed positions;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged, fragmentary, vertical sectional view of the door in open position;

Fig. 5 is a detached perspective view of one rack bar and its housing;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged, fragmentary elevation of the inner side of the door showing a modified form of mechanism for operating the upper leaf of the door;

Fig. 7 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 77, Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary elevation of the inner side of a door provided with another modified form of mechanism for operating the upper leaf of the door;

Fig. 9 is an enlarged, fragmentary, vertical sectional view, taken on the line 9-9, Fig. 8; and,

Fig. 10 is an enlarged, fragmentary, horizontal sectional view, taken on the line 10--10, Fig. 8.

Referring now more particularly to the embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figs. 1. to 5, in which similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout, a portion of the front Wall of a hangar, garage or similar building is indicated at 10, with a door opening 11 therein of suitable width and height to an airplane, motor vehicle or the like to pass therethrough.

The door opening is adapted to be closed by a door comprising the upper leaf or panel 12 and the lower leaf or panel 13. Each of these leaves is of a horizontal length substantially the horizontal dimension of the door opening 11, and the combined height of the two leaves is substantially equal to the height of the door opening.

The upper leaf 12 is hinged at its upper edge to the building 10, adjacent to the top of the door opening 11, as by the hinges 14. For the purpose of hingedly con necting the lower leaf 13 to the upper leaf 12, a shaft 15 is fixed to the brackets 16 connected to the upper edge portion of the lower leaf 13, and said shaft is journalled in the bearing brackets 17 attached to the lower edge of the upper leaf 12. As shown in the drawings, the lower leaf 13 may be of slightly less vertical height than the upper leaf 12.

For the purpose of operating the upper leaf 12 of the door, to swing it outward and upward to opened position, or downward and inward to closed position, a horizontally disposed driving shaft 18 is provided. This driving shaft is spaced inwardly from the inner side of the upper leaf 12, at a point slightly below the upper edge thereof, being journalled in the bearing brackets 19 which are attached to the inner side of the front wall 10, adjacent to the top of the door opening 11 therein.

Pinions 20 are fixed upon the driving shaft 18 at spaced intervals throughout its length, and mesh with the gear segments 21, which are fixed at their lower ends to the upper edge portion of the upper leaf 12 and extend upwardly therefrom, being normally received in the pockets or recesses 22, in the inner side of the front wall 10, when the door is in the fully closed position.

The driving shaft 18 may be rotated by any suitable means. For this purpose a power shaft 23' is shown, journalled in bearing brackets 24 mounted upon the inner side of the front wall 10 of the building. This power shaft is operatively connected to the gear reducer 25, driven by a reversing motor 26 or other prime mover. The power shaft 23 may be operatively connected to the driving shaft 18 as by the sprocket wheels 27 on the shaft 23 and sprocket wheels 28 on the shaft 18, connected as by the sprocket chains 29. In the event of power failure, the shaft 23 may be manually rotated as by the manual chain sprocket operator 30.

For the purpose of simultaneously swinging the lower leaf 13 of the door upward and inward as the upper leaf 12 is swung upward and outward to open position, a plurality of gears 31 are fixed at intervals upon the shaft 15. Each gear 31 meshes with a rack bar 32, slidably mounted in a housing 33 fixed upon the outer side of the upper leaf 12 of the door. Each of the rack bars 32 is pivotally connected by a link 34 with a bracket 35 at tached to the front side of the front wall 10 above the top of the door opening.

In the operation of the door-operating mechanism above described, when the power shaft 23 is rotated in the direction of the arrow shown in Fig. 3, the driving shaft 18 will be rotated in the same directiomthrough the sprocket wheels 27 and 28 and chain 29.

The pinions 20 upon the shaft 18, meshing with the gear segments 21 fixed to the upper edge portion of the upper door leaf 12, will cause said upper leaf to swing outward and upward, from the fully closed full line position shown in Fig. 3, through the several broken line positions indicated at A, B, and C, to the fully open position indicated at D, at which time, as shown in the drawings, the upper leaf 12 of the door is located in a substantially horizontal plane extending outward from the top of the door opening 11.

At the same time, the upward and outward swinging movement of the upper leaf 12 will cause the rack bars 32 to slide downward and outward in their housings 33, due to the pivotal connection of the links 34 to the rack. bars 32 and the brackets 35.

This downward and outward sliding movement of the rack bars 32 will, through the gears 31, rotate the shaft 15 in the direction of the arrow shown on the drawings, hinging the lower leaf 13 upon the shaft 15 and causing it to swing inward and upward from the closed full line position, through the several broken line positions indicated at A, B and C, to the fully opened position D in Fig. 3, at which time the lower leaf 13 is located in substantially horizontal position, folded flat against the inner or under side of the upper leaf 12, so that the door opening is fully uncovered permitting an airplane, motor vehicle or the like to pass therethrough into or out of the building, as the case may be.

With the door in the fully open, folded position shown in broken lines at D-D' in Fig. 3, it will be obvious that the door may be moved to extended or closed position by rotating the power shaft 23 in the opposite direction so as to reversely rotate the driving shaft 18.

Through the pinions 20 and fixed gear segments 21, the upper leaf 12 of the door will be swung downward and inward to the fully closed position and simultaneously, through the sliding rack bars 32 and gears 31, the lower leaf 13 of the door will be swung downward and outward to fully closed position.

Referring now to Figs. 6 and 7, a modified embodiment of the invention is illustrated. The upper and lower leaves 12 and 13 respectively of the door may be the same as illustrated in Figs. 1 to 5 and above described in detail, and the lower leaf 13 may be hingedly connected to the upper leaf 12 and operated by the same rack and gear mechanism shown in Figs. 1 to 5.

However, the mechanism for operating the upper leaf 12 of the door is different from that shown in Figs. 1 to 5, and includes a relatively large gear quadrant 36 fixed to the inner side of the upper leaf 12 at each vertical edge of the door.

These gear quadrants mesh with pinions 37 upon the short shafts 38 journalled in bearing brackets 39 mounted upon the front wall 10 of the building adjacent each side of the door opening 11 therein.

A sprocket wheel 40 is fixed upon each of the short shafts 38 and is operatively connected, as by a sprocket chain 41, with a sprocket wheel 42 upon the power shaft 43', which is operatively connected to the gear reducer 44, driven by a reversing motor 45 or other prime mover.

As the power shaft 43 is rotated in the direction of the arrow shown in Fig. 7, the, pinions 37 will be rotated in the same direction, rotating the gear quadrants 36 in the direction of the arrow shown in said figure, swinging the upper leaf 12 of the door from the closed, full line position to the open, broken line position. At the same time, the lower leaf 13 will be swung to the open position through the operation of the racks and pinions in the manner above described.

In each form of the invention above described, as well as in the further modification illustrated in Figs. 8 to 10 inclusive, a fluid clutch 46 and electric brake 47 with solenoid switch 48, are preferably provided between the reversing motor and the gear reducer. This provides a safety mechanism to prevent closing of the door inadvertently due tomotor failure or power failure, and also prevents damage to the motor in the event ofjamming of the mechanism.

The embodiment of the invention shown in Figs. 8 to inclusive utilizes a lever system instead of the gear segment and pinion mechanism shown in Figs. 1 to 5, and Figs. 6 and 7, for operating the upper leaf of the'door. The advantage of this lever system is that travel is limited by the diameter of the crank lever. This eliminates the necessity of providing limit switches at the points of maximum opening and closing, in order to stop the operation of the door at the fully open and fully closed positions.- i Y In this modified form of the invention, a portion of the front wall of a hanger or similar building is shown at 10 with a door opening 11 therein. The upper leaf or panel of the door is indicated at 12, and in Fig. 9 the lower leaf of the door is shown in broken lines at 13. This lower leaf may be connected to the upper leaf of the door by the same mechanism shown in Figs. 1 to 5 inclusive and above described in detail.

This mechanism for operating the lower leaf of the door is not illustrated in Figs. 8 to 10, as the only change in this embodiment of the invention is in the mechanism for operating the upper leaf 12, which is hingedly connected at its upper edge to the front wall 10 of the building, at the top of the door opening 11, as by hinges 14.

A motor 49 is mounted on the bracket 50, attached to the inner side of the wall 10, and is connected to a gear reducer 51, with fluid clutch 46, electric brake 47 and solenoid switch 48, as illustrated and described in the two other embodiments of the invention. The power shaft 52 is operatively connected to the gear reducer 51, and journalled in bearings 53 mounted on the wall 10, sprocket wheels 54 being mounted upon opposite ends of the shaft 52.

Chains 55 connect the sprocket wheels 54 to the sprocket wheels 56 which are centrally located upon the operating shafts 57. These shafts 57 are journalled in bearings 58, mounted upon the inner side of the front wall 10, directly above the top of the door opening 11, and near opposite ends thereof.

A pair of lever cranks 59 are connected to opposite ends of each shaft 57 and each lever crank is pivotally connected, as at 60, to one end of a link 61, the other end of each link being pivotally connected, as at 62, to a bracket 63 fixed to the upper edge portion of the upper leaf 12 of the door.

The lower leaf 13 of the door may be opened and closed, simultaneously with the opening and closing of the upper leaf 12, by the rack and pinion mechanism illustrated in Figs. 2, 3, 4, 5 and 7 and above described in detail. For this purpose, rack bars such as shown in said figures of the drawings, are connected to the links 34, which are connected at their upper ends to the brackets 35, and the operation of these parts is the same as above described.

In the operation of the embodiments of the invention illustrated in Figs. 8 to 10, with the door in closed position, as shown in Figs. 8 and 9, when the motor 49 is operated in clockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 9, the shaft 57 will be rotated in the same direction, through the sprocket wheels 54 and 56 and chain 55, swinging the lever cranks 61 from the full line position shown in Fig. 9 to the broken line position.

The link 61 will thus be moved from the full line position to the broken line position shown in Fig. 9, swinging the upper leaf 12 of the door upward and outward to the open position shown in broken lines. At the same time, the lower leaf 13 of the door will be swung upward and inward to open position, as shown in broken lines in Fig. 9, by the rack and pinion mechanism above described.

With the door in the fully open position it will be obvious that reversemovement of the motor will move the door back to the closed position. It will be se'enthat the advantage of this lever system is that the travel is limited by the diameter or throw of the lever cranks 59, thus stopping the operation at' the fully open and fully closed positions of the door without the necessity of limit switches at the points of maximum opening and closing, as would be required in the other embodiments of the invention. Failure of such limit switches to function would cause damage to the mechanism. The lever system shown in Figs. 8 to 10 eliminates this problem.

It. should be understood that manual operating means, such as the chain sprocket mechanism shown in Figs. 1, 6 and 7, may be provided in the embodiment of Figs. 8 to 10, for use in the event of power failure.

In the foregoing description, certain terms have been used for brevity, clearness and understanding, but no unnecessary limitations are to be implied therefrom beyond the requirements of the prior art, because such words are used for descriptive purposes herein and are intended to be broadly construed.

Moreover, the embodiments of the improved construction illustrated and described herein are by way of example, and the scope of the present invention is not limited to the exact details of construction.

Having now described the invention or discovery, the construction, the operation, and use of preferred embodiments thereof, and the advantageous new and useful results obtained thereby; the new and useful construction, and reasonable mechanical equivalents thereof obvious to those skilled in the art, are set forth in the appended claims.

We claim:

1. In combination with a wall having a door opening therein, a door comprising an upper leaf and a lower leaf, means hingedly connecting the upper edge of the upper leaf to said wall adjacent the top of the door opening, spaced bearing brackets upon the lower edge of the upper leaf, a shaft fixed to the upper edge of the lower leaf and journalled in said bearing brackets, gears fixed at spaced intervals upon said shaft, elongated straight rack bars disposed perpendicular to said shaft, said rack bars being slidably mounted upon the upper leaf and meshing with said gears, bracket arms extending outwardly from said wall above the door opening links pivotally conected at opposite ends to said rack bars and to said bracket arms, and means for swinging the upper leaf outward and upward upon its hinge connection, whereby said rack bars will be longitudinally slidably moved downward and outward upon said upper leaves, rotating said gears to simultaneously swing the lower leaf inward and upward.

2. Apparatus as defined in claim 1, in which the rack bars are longitudinally slidable in elongated housings attached to the upper leaf.

3. Apparatus as defined in claim 1, in which the means for swinging the upper leaf upon its hinge connection comprises a driving shaft journalled upon the wall adjacent the top of the door opening, spaced pinions fixed upon said driving shaft, spaced arcuate gear segments rigidly connected at their lower ends to the upper edge of the upper leaf, and extending upwardly therefrom, and meshing with said pinions, and means for rotating said driving shaft.

4. Apparatus as defined in claim 2, in which the means for swinging the upper leaf upon its hinge connection comprises a driving shaft joumalled upon the wall adjacent the top of the door opening, spaced pinions fixed upon said driving shaft, spaced arcuate gear segments rigidly connected at their lower ends to the upper edge of the upper leaf and extending upwardly therefrom, and meshing with said pinions, and means for rotating said driving shaft.

5. Apparatus as defined in claim 1, in which the means for swinging the upper leaf upon its hinge connection comprises driving shafts jonrnalled upon the wall adjacent opposite ends of the door; opening at points spaced below the top of the door opening, a "pinion fixed upon each driving shaft, a gear quadrant fixed to the inner side of the. upper leaf at each vertical edge thereof and meshing with the corresponding pinion, and means for rotating said driving shafts.

6. Apparatus as, defined in claim 2, in which the means, for, swinging the upperleaf upon its hinge connection comprises driving shafts journalled upon the wall adjacent opposite ends or the door opening at points spaced below the top, of the door. opening, a pinion fixed upon each driving shaft, a gear quadrant fixed to the inner side of the upperv leaf at each vertical edge thereof and meshing with the corresponding. pinion, and means for. rotating said driving. shafts.

References. Cited in the file of this patent UNITED s rar as PATENTS 916,055 Skov et al. Mar. 23, 1902 1,090,707 Borg Aug. 15, 1911 ,11 2 1 Row ee e 1. 1,724,123 Blaski Aug. 13, 19,22

EOREIGN PATENTS 48,744 Netherlands May 16, 1 940 55,697 France May 14, 1952 

